This is pretty much what I expected to see. It shows why Amendola was more attractive than Welker. His per-year average cost is slightly less, but more significant, his salary cap cost this year and next is much lower.

5 years 27.7 sounds a lot better then 5 years 31 mil but I still can't believe they paid that much for Arrington. In this market that's about starting money, I hope that isn't a sign that they think of him as a major part of the D

With teams playing nickel 60% of the time, slot corner is basically a starter. And lets see what the salary breakdown actually is. 4th year could be 6-7M unguaranteed making the real deal more like 3/8M.

It also seems that the CB market is shrinking in from both ends - range of salaries 4M-6M so far - rather than say 3M-8M.

The deal was originally reported at an agent-inflated $31 million. Amendola wound up getting less money per year than Wes Welker, which further supports the notion that the Patriots signed Amendola before Welker left for Denver. The Patriots also smartly tied up $1.72 million of the deal in per-game roster bonuses, meaning injury-prone Amendola will have to stay healthy to get that money. His signing bonus is $6 million. Amendola gets $10 million guaranteed.
Source:ESPN Boston

The Patriots came to terms with both running back/kick returner
Leon Washington and wide receiver
Donald Jones on Friday, and the contract information for the deal signed by each player has been passed along and highlighted below, per a league source.

Quick-hit: The Patriots were able to land a potential starting kickoff returner and rotational running back at a reasonable price in this deal. Washington could be called upon to serve in a role similar to
Danny Woodhead's from 2012 (
Shane Vereen's playing time figures to spike as well next season), and he adds a veteran presence to the locker room.

Quick-hit: The most noteworthy aspect to Jones' deal is that it does not include any guaranteed money up front. He didn't have a signing bonus, and none of his base salaries are guaranteed. Why might this be the case? One thought is that Jones finished the 2012 season on injured reserve for an undisclosed illness. He told the Buffalo News that he learned of a minor kidney issue during the 2010 NFL scouting combine, while adding that the illness that landed him on IR is something he has been dealing with for many years (link
HERE). We don't know for sure if his health played a part in the construction of his contract, but if so, the team has some protection based on the deal highlighted above.